


l'oscurità ardente

by orphan_account



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Awkward Crush, Brief Violence, M/M, Voyeurism, i like poly ships so i wouldn't call this infidelity but it's ambiguous so here's a warning for that, less brief but more canon typical violence, yx being a brat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:56:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27651677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: puppy crush (n.)A combination of the phrases 'puppy love' and 'crush'. Generally with the same meaning, often describes having an extreme crush on someone that will never turn into real love or a real relationship.Young Xehanort wants what Xemnas has.
Relationships: Saïx/Xemnas (Kingdom Hearts), Saïx/Young Xehanort
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	l'oscurità ardente

“So. Which poor soul will it be?”

The youngest Xehanort, the original Xehanort, laughed. As if Braig really had to ask. “Saix.”

Braig grinned widely. “No surprises there. He’s the obvious choice, right?”

He turned and crossed the room, stepping over Axel’s body, and kicking at Saix to turn him onto his back, then bending to brush the long blue hair out of his face.

“Aw, he looks so peaceful,” he said, turning to look at Xehanort, who had quietly appeared just beside him. “You think he’ll stay out cold, or should we tie him up and gag him?”

Xehanort wasn't about to rise to Braig's bait so easily. “It doesn’t matter if he wakes up. Let’s just get him out of here.”

“Roger that.”

Braig grabbed Saix’s arm and pulled him up off the floor, then scooped him into his arms. He was heavy, nothing but densely packed muscle now a pure dead weight, and his head lolled back. Braig took one glance at his neck and broke into a grin again.

“Well lookie here. I wonder who’s been having so much fun with your vessel behind your back.”

“What do you mean?” Xehanort asked, annoyed, and followed Braig’s gaze to several nasty bite marks at the base of Saix’s neck. When Saix stood up, they would probably be covered by his hair and coat, but from here they couldn’t have been any more visible.

Xehanort felt his face heat up. Maybe he should be angry that he himself hadn't put the bites there, but he couldn't deny it was a good look for him. Had Xemnas done this? Xehanort imagined him viciously sinking his teeth into a moaning Saix's neck as he hungrily stripped him out of his black coat. He felt dizzy.

"It's just a vessel. I don't care who has fun with it." He opened a dark portal and motioned Braig inside.

*****

Xehanort came to visit Saix once he was up and walking around. Rather than any sort of appropriate or formal greeting, Xehanort silently walked right up to him and gripped his chin, tilted his head around, inspected his face. He pushed a thumb between Saix’s lips and Saix dropped his jaw obediently, allowing Xehanort to pry his mouth open and look at his teeth. His fingers threaded through blue hair, pulling it, inspecting it. He tugged on Saix's pointed ear tips, and poked at his studded lobes. Saix winced, but didn't protest to any of it. Xehanort paused for a moment, tilted his head, and then suddenly, Saix's head snapped to the side, and his cheek burned. Xehanort had slapped him. More shocked than hurt, Saix put his hand up to gingerly cradle his stinging face.

"I didn't do that for a reason. I just felt like it."

Saix blinked. Xehanort smiled, eyebrows raised. "Are you going to hit me back?"

The sentence was barely out before Saix's fist snapped forward into Xehanort's stomach. He doubled over, gasping, not having expected such a quick or _hard_ response, and Saix cupped Xehanort’s face with both hands, pulling him back upright. A moment ago, Saix's eyes had reflected Xehanort's like a mirror, but now they burned like torches as he calmly spoke.

"I'd prefer if you ask before you touch me. _Sir_."

He let go of Xehanort's face and excused himself from the room. Despite still struggling to catch his breath, Xehanort managed a laugh. "I see why you like this one so much," he said to no one in particular.

*****

The next morning, someone entered Saix's room without knocking. He didn't look up from his paperwork to see who it was; he was pretty sure he knew. But he wasn't expecting a plate to be dropped off at his elbow; Saix looked down to see a stack of somewhat burnt-looking pancakes, drenched in syrup and topped with a single unsliced strawberry.

A peace offering? He looked up at Xehanort, who seemed to be doing his best to look casual and unaffected. Saix wasn't really hungry, but the gesture was amusing enough that he didn't mind humoring it. He took a small bite, covering his mouth daintily as he chewed. As expected, they were burnt, and a little tough.

"Well?"

"Hmm. They're not bad." Saix watched Xehanort's face light up. It was almost cute.

"Can I touch your hair?"

Ah, a bribe, then, not a peace offering. Saix picked up the strawberry and inspected it for a moment before answering. "No." He made eye contact with Xehanort and sank his sharp canines into the strawberry.

Xehanort watched, briefly enchanted, before annoyance set into his face. He clearly hadn't prepared for this outcome, and rather than trying to find a good response, he turned on his heel and left, slamming the door behind him.

Saix hummed with satisfaction. He finished off the entire mediocre plate.

*****

The clang of metal on metal echoed through the training arena over and over. Xehanort backflipped out of Saix's path as he swung down his claymore again, meeting floor this time instead of a keyblade. Xehanort swung No Name out like a whip, but Saix deflected easily, and leapt to close the distance between them again.

Xehanort barely got his weapon up in time for Lunatic to swing down again, its vicious spikes inches from Xehanort's face. It was taking all of his strength to hold Saix back, and Saix just looked wildly at him past his weapon, bearing down on him with even more force.

Even as his knees started to give out, Xehanort felt a swelling of pride at how capable this vessel of his was at defending itself. Saix hadn't even unleashed the full force of his power yet, and Xehanort was already losing. He'd handle himself beautifully against any opponent thrown his way when the final battle came.

"This fight is over," Saix growled. "Give up."

Xehanort gritted his teeth. "You wish."

In the next moment, his legs gave in and he landed on his back on the floor, but still he managed to hold Saix at arm's length. And at last, he saw an opening.

"You're slipping," Xehanort said, grinning, then drew back his legs and kicked with all his strength into Saix's unguarded stomach. Saix staggered backward, clutching his abdomen, freeing Xehanort to leap to his feet and lunge at him. He was still wheezing when he barely managed to block the attack with his claymore, and used all his might to fling Xehanort backward across the arena.

"I call on the moon's pale light!" Saix spread his arms, allowing the moon's energy to flood through him, exploding outward in a shockwave that would have sent anyone in its range staggering.

Not good, Xehanort thought, breaking into a cold sweat as he realized Saix was going Berserk.

The next second, as if freed from the binds of gravity itself, Saix sailed toward Xehanort weapon-first across the arena, graceful and wild and terrifying in equal measure as he smashed into the floor over and over, closer each time.

Xehanort kept his eyes on the sharp end of the claymore, blood rushing in his ears as he brought up No Name in a feeble attempt to deflect Saix's attack. But his petite form was simply no match for this unleashed power, and he dropped to the ground like a ragdoll as his keyblade was slammed out of his hand and clattered across the floor. Saix kicked Xehanort onto his back and pinned him down with a boot on his chest, eyes glowing, energy pouring off him in waves.

 _He's not going to kill me_ , Xehanort thought to himself reassuringly as Saix raised his weapon high. _He definitely isn't going to kill me._

He didn't flinch as the weapon’s spikes slammed into the ground on either side of his neck, but he might have felt an outpouring of relief strong enough to make his eyes water. Or maybe the incredible force he'd hit the ground with was finally catching up to him. Saix leaned more weight onto his leg, squeezing the air from Xehanort's lungs as he reached down to grip his chin, his hair falling into Xehanort's captivated face. Saix's teeth had grown to oversized fangs and his scar was dark and jagged.

"I win," he hissed. His eyes were dimming back to normal and the aura faded slowly from around him. Saix wrenched his claymore out of the ground and de-summoned it, then offered a hand down to help Xehanort up.

He took it.

*****

Xehanort was reading in his bed when a flash of white crossed the corner of his vision. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he gazed wide-eyed into the hallway for a moment, wondering if his eyes had deceived him, before ultimately deciding to get up and check the hall.

He looked left, then right -- just in time to see another flash of white, disappearing around the corner this time. Whoever, or whatever, it was, had been silent as a ghost, but didn't move like a Dusk. Was someone out of their bed late at night, perhaps? What could they be up to? Xehanort left his room and followed just as silently.

When he rounded the corner, he saw the same flash disappearing into a room. Xemnas's room, Xehanort realized, lifting an eyebrow. He crept closer and peered around the corner.

Saix stood with his back to the door in a long white bath robe. Xemnas, wide awake and seemingly expecting him, sat up from his bed with a smile and stretched out his arms. Saix went to him.

Xehanort ducked back out into the hallway, face growing warm again. He knew exactly what they were doing, and he knew he ought to go back to bed. Technically they weren’t doing anything wrong, so he couldn’t just stop them, and it would be wrong, wrong, wrong to stay here and watch such a private exchange from the secrecy of the hallway. But, they had just left the door ajar, after all. Xehanort peered back around the corner and into the bedroom.

Saix was on top of Xemnas now, straddling him, the robe pooling around his waist. Xehanort could barely make out a large tattoo on Saix's right shoulder, and he squinted trying to see what it was, but it was too dark and too far away. He tossed his hair over his shoulder, covering the tattoo up again, and bent down as if to kiss Xemnas, but Xemnas's euphoric face remained unobstructed even as the room was filled with wet slurping sounds. Xehanort ducked out of the room again, one hand clamped tightly over his mouth, and pressed the other hand against the growing hardness at his crotch. Saix was in there sucking Xemnas off. How _filthy._

Xehanort's hand crept into his pants. Within minutes, long before the two of them were done in Xemnas’s room, Xehanort had finished up and scrambled back to his own room.

*****

Saix entered Xehanort's room without knocking. Xehanort stood in the corner, gazing out the window at the setting sun.

"You sent for me?"

Xehanort turned to face him. "I want to see your tattoo."

Saix’s kept his face blank as he tried to figure out how Xehanort had found out. Either Xemnas had told him for some reason, or…

“I saw a glimpse of it last night. I want to see it in the light.”

As the dots connected in his head, Saix allowed his amusement to show on his face. “How shameless of you.”

He shut the door behind him and stepped into the middle of the room, then turned around and began unzipping his coat. He shrugged out of it and let it fall to the floor, then reached up with gloved hands to grasp the back of his black shirt and pull it over his head. Inch by inch, the skin of Saix’s muscled back was exposed to Xehanort, revealing faded scars, fresher ones, and finally, the dark blue linework of the tattoo.

It was a rabbit, nestled asleep in a patch of flowers. The whole thing was done in shades of blue and took up his entire right shoulderblade. Did he like rabbits that much? Was it commemorative of something? How long had he had it? Questions flooded Xehanort’s mind, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask any of them.

Saix peered at Xehanort over his shoulder. "Satisfied?"

"Can I touch it?"

Saix stared at Xehanort quizzically. “It'll just feel like skin.”

“I know.”

Xehanort stared back with his eyebrows knitted together.

"Go ahead," Saix murmered.

Xehanort pulled the glove off his right hand and splayed his fingers across Saix's icy skin.

"Your hand is warm."

"No, you're just freezing," Xehanort said. He rubbed his hand over Saix's back, as if trying to share the warmth from his fingers, and he felt Saix shiver. "You should probably put your shirt back on."

"Probably." He pulled the shirt and coat back on, hiding the tattoo away from the rest of the world once more. With a final bow, Saix exited the room.

*****

Xehanort didn’t feel like reporting in to Saix after his Toy Box mission. He didn’t feel like talking to anyone, really, but leave it to Saix to be such a stickler for paperwork that he’d track Xehanort down anyway.

“I can’t analyze our trajectory towards our goals without your mission report, Sir,” Saix called through the door in between banging his fist against it. There was no answer, and the door was locked. Saix sighed and summoned up a dark portal as a last resort.

Xehanort was face down on his bed when Saix entered the room. “Is...something the matter?”

“Nothing at all.” Xehanort bitterly spat into his pillow. He huffily pushed up off the bed and got himself sitting up just to glare at Saix. “I’d appreciate it if you’d go away.”

“With all due respect, Sir, I’d appreciate it if you turned in your mission report.”

Xehanort frowned and grabbed Saix by the wrist.

“I’m tired of taking orders from you, vessel.” Saix indignantly tried to pull his hand away, but Xehanort’s grip tightened and he yanked Saix by the arm until he was at Xehanort’s eye level. “Xemnas may not have any idea how to maintain a hierarchy, but I do, and you’re at the bottom of this one.”

Saix’s lips curled into a smile. “Is that so?”

“Yes. In fact,” Xehanort stood up, drawing himself to full height beside Saix, and pointed at the floor. “I’d like you to demonstrate that you know your place.”

Saix’s expression went cold. Slowly, without a word of protest, he dropped to his knees on the ground and bent forward until his forehead touched the floor at Xehanort’s feet.

Xehanort laughed. “Very good! You’re all sorts of useful after all. That’ll be all.”

He turned and walked to the window. He could hear Saix getting up behind him. He was really taking his sweet time. Why was he just standing there? Why wouldn’t he just leave already? Just leave already.

But he didn’t leave. He walked right up behind Xehanort and put his hands on his shoulders, squeezing gently, and leaned forward to whisper breathily into his ear.

“Did something happen today? You can tell me if you want.”

Xehanort gasped. Insolent tears sprang to his eyes without his permission and spilled over onto his cheeks. Saix moved from gripping his shoulders to enveloping his body in a warm hug, holding Xehanort tight to his chest as he sobbed and sobbed. The nerve of that wretched doll, reducing him to this level, that he’d end up shedding actual tears in the arms of a being not much better than a doll itself. For a brief moment, Xehanort nearly allowed himself to wonder if, maybe...

But, no. Saix was a freshly turned Nobody, with no Heart growing back yet. Xemnas had probably taught him this little trick, and a convincing trick it was, but Saix didn’t actually have any feelings to speak of, Xehanort knew.

He forced himself to pull away. He wiped his eyes on his coat sleeves and turned to face Saix with a cold expression. “I’ll get you the mission report by the end of the night. Go see to the rest of your duties.”

Saix hesitated, then bowed. “Understood. I’ll look forward to your report.”

He took his leave from Xehanort's room without another backward glance. Xehanort watched him go until the door clicked shut behind him.


End file.
